Dry-kiln truck for emptying and refilling dry-kilns



L. E. CARTER. DRY KILN TRUCK FOR EMPTYING AND REFILLING DRY KILNS.

APPLICATION FILED NON-1| 1919. 1,337,439.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

L. E. CARTER. I DRY KILN TRUCK FOB EMPTYING AND REFILLING DRY KILNS- APPLICATION FILED No v.1, 1919. 1,337,439.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920,

LEE E. CARTER, OF ST. MARIES, IDAHO.

DRY-KI'LN TRUCK FOR EIVIPTYING AND REFILLING DRY-KILNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

Application filed November 1, 1919. Serial No. 335,220.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, LEE E. CARTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Maries, in the county of Benewah and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dry-,Kiln Trucks for Emptying and Refilling Dry-Kilns, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Heretofore, in practice, dry kilns are loaded and unloaded by hand or man power. In fact, heretofore the lumber is loaded upon trucks, and the trucks one at a time are removed from the kilns or pushed thereinto. This operation necessitates men going into the kiln where the heat is extreme. On this account the heat in the kiln is considerably lost, thereby necessitating waiting an additional time to generate additional heat, for it is obvious that a high degree of heat is necessary for the proper seasoning of the lumber.

The present inventlon aims to afiord various objects, first to empty the kiln of the loaded trucks, and to refill the same in one operation, without entering the kiln at all.

as a second object it is the aim to space the loads of lumber which are carried on several sets of trucks which are likewise evenly spaced, thereby allowing a thorough circulation of theheated air to be the same throughout the kiln.

A further object of the invention is to avoid cooling off of the kiln when removing therefrom or placing therein trucks of lumber, as it consumes but a little time, say for instance five to eight minutes only to accomplish this result, evenincluding opening and closing the kiln doors and controlhng the operation of emptying and refilling the kiln.

The invention further aims to eliminate the necessity of men entering the klln where the heat is from 150to 200 degrees to either remove or refill the kiln.

"While the design and construction at present illustrated and setforth is-deemed preferable, it is obvious that as a result of'a reduction of the invention to a more practical form for commercial purposes, the invention may be susceptible to changes, and the right to these changes is clalmed, provided they are comprehended within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features wise constructed and of other and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of two sets of trucks linked together, one set of trucks having the lumber piled thereon as shown in full lines, and the other showing in dotted lines the lumber piled thereon and in a position ready to be removed from a kiln;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view of the adjacent ends of the beams of two trucks; showing the linked connections 13 between two trucks;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the ends of the beams of several trucks showing the stretcher links;

Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail perspective View of one of the beams of one of the trucks showing the connections between the spacing rods of adjacent beams which are mounted upon wheels or rollers;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4: showing the construction of the end of the beam illustrating the reinforcing plate and also showing the eye-bolt mounted in the reinforcing plate;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail perspective view of a bar employed for connecting the links 13 between the beams of two trucks;

Fig. 7 is a view showing the trucks, illustrating the cable extension links connecting betweenthe ends of the trucks; and

S is a plan view of the adjacent ends of the trucks, showing the cable extension links.

Referring more especially to the drawings, A and B designate two trucks. Each truck comprises a plurality of truck beams 1, 2 and 3, which are constructed preferably of channel iron, though not necessaril for it is obvious that the beams may be othermaterial. However, these beams are mounted upon suitable supporting wheels or rollers 4c. The ends of the channel irons of the trucks are 7 closed as shown at 5, and these closed ends forcing plates, which are angular. Nuts 9 are threaded on the shanks of the eye-bolts to hold them in position. Spring split washers 10 are mounted upon the shanks of the eye-bolts intermediate the nuts 9 and the end flanges of the reinforcing plate, thereby locking the nuts securely in position, hence preventing detachment of the eye-bolts.

Spacing rods 11 are arranged between the end portions of the beams to hold the beams of the trucks equal distances apart. In

fact, the spacing rods have their opposite ends U-shaped as shown at 12 which engage the shanks of the eye-bolts between the eyes of the bolts and the ends of the trucks.

By referring to the drawings, it will be observed that several trucks may be linked together. This is accomplished by means of the links 13, which engage the eye-bolts of the adjacent ends of the beams of two trucks. These links 13 are U-shaped and are applied between the loaded trucks by means of what may be termed a coupling bar 14: illustrated in Fig. 6. For instance, when two trucks have been loaded and they are immediately adjacent each other with the lumber piled high upon them, it is impossible for a man to enter between the loaded I trucks. This is avoided by means of the coupling bar 14c which may be grasped by the operator, the link being carried by the forked end of the bar and the bar is then inserted between the loaded trucks, whereby the link may be dropped in engagement with the eye-bolts.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 stretcher cables 15 are connected to the head ends of the trucks. The head ends of the trucks to which the stretchers are connected are supposed to be loaded, as shown in dotted lines, and it is the aim that the stretchers are used only on the head ends of the loaded trucks, which are to be taken out or removed from the dry kiln. Each stretcher 15 is constructed from a piece of cable having at one end a steel hook 17, designed to engage the eye-bolt 8, as illustrated. The opposite end of the cable stretcher is formed into a loop, as indicated at 16. These loops 16 of the stretchers 15, since the stretchers converge toward each other engage a single ring 18.

1 These stretchers and the spacing rods 11 are only used on the front end of the loaded trucks, which are to be removed from the kiln.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8 extension links 19 are employed. These extension links 19 are constructed from cables, and are provided with hooks 20 at their opposite end, which are designed to engage the eye-bolts of the adjacent ends of the truck beams. In

fact, the truck beams are arranged as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, when using the extension links, in other words, the extension links 19 are used only to connect the last loaded truck in the kiln with the front or head trucks, which are loaded and ready to be placed in the kiln. The use of the extension link or cable to connect the rear ends of each rear loaded truck in the kiln, with the head ends of each loaded truck to be pulled in the kiln, allows the pull to be equal on each truck.

- The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is 1. In a lumber supporting truck for kilns, the combination with a plurality of trucks, each truck comprising a plurality of truck beams, means for connecting the truck beams of both trucks endwise, supporting wheels for the truck beams, spacing members detachably connected to certain of the ends of the truck beams for spacing the truck beams, and means connected to certain of the ends of the truck beams for drawing the truck into and out of the kiln. V 2. In a lumber supporting truck for kilns, the combination with a plurality of trucks, each truck comprising a plurality of truck beams, of means connecting the truck beams each truck comprising a. plurality of truck beams, of means connecting the truck beams of the trucks endwise, certain of the ends of certain of the truck beams having eye-bolts, spacing rods having their opposite ends U- .shaped to engage the shanks of the eyebolts to hold the truck beams spaced, and means connected to said eye-bolts for drawing the trucks into and out of the kiln.

4;. In a lumber supporting truck for kilns, the combination with a plurality of truck beams, supporting wheels therefor, said truck beams being constructed of channel members having closed ends, reinforcing angle plates arranged on the inner parts of the channel members and secured thereto adjacent the closed ends, eye-bolts engaging through the closed ends, and through certain of the flanges of the reinforcing angle plates, means engaging between the eye-bolts for spacing the trucks, and means for drawing the trucks into and out of the kiln.

5. In a lumber supporting truck for kilns, the combination with a plurality of truck beams having supporting wheels, said truck beams being constructed of channel members having their ends closed, of angular reinforcing plates engaging within the channel members adjacent the closed ends, means through said closed ends and through the flanges adjacent thereto, spacing rods havin U-shaped ends engaging the shanks of the eye-bolts between their eyes and the closed ends, and means connected to the eyebolts for drawing the truck into and out of the kiln.

6. In a lumber supporting truck for kilns, the combination with a plurality of truck beams having supporting wheels and provided with closed ends, of means for reinforcing said closed ends, eye-bolts carried by the closed ends, and means connecting the eye-bolts of the truck beams of two adjacent trucks, thereby making the pull equal on each truck beam, and holding the truck beams in alinement, thereby avoiding pull toward the center of the truck.

7. In a lumber supporting truck for kilns, the combination with a plurality of trucks, each truck comprising a plurality of truck beams, flexible means for connecting the truck beams of both trucks endwise, supporting wheels for the truck beams, and means connected to certain of the ends of the truck beams for drawing the truck into and out of the kiln.

8. In a lumber supporting truck for kilns, the combination with a plurality of truck beams having supporting wheels and provided with closed ends, of means for reinforcing said closed ends, eye bolts carried by the closed ends, means connecting the eye bolts of the truck beams of two adjacent trucks, thereby making the pull equal on each truck beam, and holding the truck beams in alinement, thereby avoiding pull t oward the center of the truck, and means connected to certain of the ends of the truck beams for drawing the truck into and out of the kiln.

9. In a lumber supporting truck for kilns, the combination with a plurality of truck beams having supporting wheels and provided with closed ends, of eye bolts carried by the closed ends, means connecting the eye bolts of the truck beams of two adjacent trucks to avoid a pull of the beams toward the center of the truck, and means connected to certain of the ends of the truck beams for drawing the truck into and out of the kiln.

10. In a lumber supporting truck for kilns, the combination with a plurality of truck beams provided with supporting wheels and having end parts, of attaching members carried by the end parts, means connecting the attaching members of the said beams of two adjacent trucks to avoid the pull of the truck beams toward the center of the truck, and means connected to certain of the ends of the truck beams for drawing the truck into and out of the kiln.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

LEE E. CARTER. 

